Tachistoscope



D. O. SCHUMAN TACHISTOSCOPE Nov. 29, 1955 Filed May 7, 1954 JNVENTOR.

BY didfiaiwrag ATTORNEYS United States Patent() TACHISTOSCOPE Donald 0.Schuman, South Bend, Ind.

Application May 7, 1954, Serial No. 428,165

2 Claims. (Cl. 3535) This invention relates to a tachistoscope and hasfor its primary object to train the vision of a person to rapidlyrecognize symbols, indices and the like.

Another object is to expose symbols, indices and the like to vision fora limited time only so that a person may be trained to recognize varioussymbols, indices and the like in a minimum of time.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this inventionwhich embodies among its fea tures an upwardly extending stand having awindow opening therethrough intermediate its upper and lower ends, meanscarried by the stand and extending outwardly from one side thereof forsupporting a card adjacent the window, indices carried by the card andvisible through the window, a shutter carried by the stand for movementdownwardly across the window, and said shutter having a window openingtherethrough for registration with the window in the stand and momentaryexposition of the indices on the card.

Other features include guide channels carried by the stand and extendingupwardly along opposite side edges thereof, a shutter mounted in theguide channels to descend under the force of gravity from an elevatedposition in which the indices are obscured to a lowered position inwhich the indices are obscured, and said shutter having a windowextending therethrough intermediate the ends thereof through which theindices are momentarily visible during the descent of the shutter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a tachistoscope embodyingthe features of this invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the tachistoscope with the shutter removed;

Figure 3 is a front view of the shutter;

Figure 4 is a rear view of the tachistoscope;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through thetachistoscope;

Figure 6 is a view showing the shutter in closed position; and

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6, showing the shutter window inregistration with the window in the stand.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a stand designated generally 10comprises a base 12 carrying at one end an upwardly and rearwardlyinclined plate 14 having a window 16 opening therethrough intermediatethe ends thereof. Carried by the plate and extending outwardly from theone side thereof are opposed channels 18 which lie adjacent oppositeside edges of the plate, as will be readily understood upon reference toFigure 2.

Carried by the plate and extending outwardly therefrom on the sidethereof remote from the channels 18 is a shelf 20 carrying along itsmarginal edges upwardly extending walls 22 which define with the self 20a pocket 24 for the reception of cards 26 which are supported on theshelf 20 in a position so that a face of one card in the stack of cardsis visible through the window 16.

Mounted for sliding movement under the influence of gravity in thechannels 18 is a shutter designated generally 28 which comprises a body30 of relatively stifl sheet material having a window 32 extendingtherethrough substantially midway between opposite ends thereof todefine adjacent opposite ends a lower panel 34 and an upper panel 36.The panels 34 and 36 are of substantially equal area and of sufiicientarea to obscure the window 16 in the plate 14, while the window 32 inthe shutter 28 is of an area substantially equal to the area of thewindow 16. It will thus be seen that with the shutter supported, asillustrated in Figure 1, in the channels 18, the index on the card 26adjacent the plate 14 will be obscured from view by the panel 34. Uponreleasing the panel 34, the shutter 28 will fall by gravity through thechannels 18 so that the window 32 will momentarily register with thewindow 16 to render visible to an observer the index on the face of thecard adjacent the plate 14. And as the shutter 28 descends, the'panel 36will obscure the window 16 so that the observer will get but a momentaryglimpse of the index or symbol on-the card which is visible through thewindow 16.- By thus employing the cards 26 hearing different symbols onopposite faces, it is obvious that a multiplicity of symbols or indicesmay be employed for training the observer in the rapid recognition ofthe symbols or indices.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. A tachistoscopic device comprising a stand including a base having aflat underside lying in a horizontal plane for disposition of the basestationarily upon a supporting surface, a flat plate rigid with andextending upwardly from the base, said plate being formed with a windowopening intermediate opposite ends thereof, a shelf rigid with andprojecting outwardly from the plate adjacent the bottom edge of thewindow opening, said shelf lying in a plane normal to the plane of theplate, a wall rigid with the shelf and projecting upwardly therefrom ina plane parallel to and spaced from the plane of the plate, and a pairof guide ribs formed upon the opposite face of the plate and projectingoutwardly therefrom, said ribs being disposed at opposite sides of thewindow opening and extending substantially the full length of the plate,the ribs being formed over their full lengths with longitudinal guidegrooves facing toward one another; a shutter formed as a sheet of stiffmaterial having intermediate its ends a sight opening substantiallyequal in area and outer configuration to said window opening, theportions of the shutter above and below the sight opening constitutingupper and lower panels and being imperforate and of an area at least asgreat as the window opening so as to overlie the window opening indifferent selected positions of the shutter, the shutter being slidablyengaged at opposite sides thereof in said grooves and being suflicientlyloose in the grooves to permit free gravitation of the shutter from anupper position in which the lower panel overlies the window opening to alower position in which the upper panel overlies the window opening,said shutter in the lower position thereof having its bottom edge flushwith the underside of the base for halting the gravitational movementofthe shutter by the supporting surface with the upper surface of thepanel overlying the window opening; and a plurality of cards bearingindices visible through the window opening when, during thegravitational movement of the shutter, the sight opening thereofmomentarily registers with the window opening, said cards beingsupported in planes parallel to the plane of the plate by engagement ofthe Patented Nov. 29, 1955.-

cards between the first named face of the plate and said W811; v 2. Atachistoscopic device comprising a stand including a base having a flatunderside lying in a horizontal plane for disposition of the basestationarily upon a supporting surface, a fiat plate rigid with andextending upwardly' from the base said plate being, formed with a windowopening intermediate opposite ends: thereof, a shelf rigid with andprojecting outwardly from the plate adjacent the bottom edge of thewindow opening, said shelf lying in a plane normal to the plane of theplate, a wall rigid with the shelf and'projecting' upwardly therefrom ina plane parallel to and spaced from the plane of the plate, and a pairof guide ribs formed upon: the opposite facev of the plate andprojecting outwardly therefrom, said ribs being disposed: at oppositesidesof the window opening and extending substantially the: full lengthof? theplate, the ribs being formed. over their full lengths withlongitudinal! guide grooves facing toward one another; a shutter formedas a sheet of stiff material having intermediate its ends a sightopening substantially equal in area and outer configuration to saidwindow opening,.the portions of the shutter above and below the sightopening constituting upper andlower panels and being imperforate and ofan area at least as great as the window opening so as to overlie thewindow opening in different selected positions of the shutter, theshutter being slidably engaged at opposite sides thereof in said groovesand being suifi'ci'ently loose in the grooves to permit free gravitationof the shutter from an upper position in which the lower panel overliesthe window opening to a lower position in which the upper panel overliesthe window opening, said shutter in the lower position thereof havingits bottom edge flush with the underside of the base for halting thegravitational movement of the shutter by the supporting surface with theupper surface of the panel overlying the window opening; and a pluralityof cards bearingindices visible through the window opening when, duringthe gravitational movement of the shutter, the sight opening thereofmomentarily registers with the window opening, said cards beingsupported in planes parallel to the plane of the plate by engagement ofthe cards between the first named face of the plate and said wall, saidplate, ribs, wall and. shutterbeing inclined from the vertical.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,647,329 Bloch et al. Aug. 4, 1953

